Scrubbing brush with soap supply



April 6, 1954 s. swARTz SCRUBBING BRUSH WITH SOAP SUPPLY Filed April 6, 1949 1N VEN TOR. SOPHIA SWARTZ ATTcRNEYs Patented Apr. 6, 1954 UNITED STA-TES ATENT OFFICE SCRUBBING 'BRUSH WITH `SOAP SUPPLY Sophia Swartz, New York, N. Y. Application April 6, 1949, Serial No. 85,785

3 (llaims.

My invention relatesfto improvementsin scrub brushes, and more particularly to abrush which is provided with means for containingand dispensing soap.

The principal object of my invention is the provision of a scrub brush which contains a porous receptacle for soap and which will produce suds by merely applying water thereto. A brush of this type is particularly advantageous in washing tableware, i'or which'it is customary to employ ajdishrag for china and glassware, and a stilic brushor steelwool pad for pots and pans. Both of lthe aforementioned types of utensils must'be separately applied to soap duringthe course of the dishwashing,` which is time consuming and inconvenient. My invention may also be applied to brusheslof other types, such as those used for cleaning sinks, bathtubs, Atoilet bowls, walls, and the like-with equally advantageous results. Anotherobject'of the invention is the provision of a brush of the character described which will hold and dispense cleaning agentsr of all types, suchV as bars of soap, soap flakes, soap powder, scraps of soapbars, etc.

-Still another object of my invention is the provision of a scrubbing brush which is especially adapted for-dish-wa-shing in that the advantages of a dish cloth and stili brush are combined in one utensil.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a-brush of the character described which is'inade oi a minimum of parts, is extremely economical to manufacture, and which can be adapted' for-almost every householdwashing use.

- Other objects and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent in the course of the following specification when taken` in connection with the accompanying drawings, .in which:

Fig. 1 is atop plan View of'a dish-brush-.embodying my invention, a portion of the lbrush bristles beingl out away` to revealk the means for attachment of the soap container.

Fig., 2 `isa side elevation of vthe brush shown in Fig." l.

Fig. 3 is anenlarged plan view showing a portion of the soap container attached to the wire frame of the brush in a different manner.

` Fig. 4 is a sectional View, taken along line lof Fig; 3 on a still larger scale.

Fig; 5 is a planview of a brush incorporatingV n another typey of soapA container, which container is attached to the brushl by the fasteningmeans shown in Figs. 3 and 4. ln this View, the vertical bristles of the brush are not-shown.

"Fig: 6 is aside elevation of the bru'shshown `in Fig. 5, with portions of the bristles being omitted to more clearly reveal the construction of the soap containerand wire frame.

Figs..1 and 2 show adish brush providedwith asoap container of my invention. The brush it lsroffthe conventional type `used forwashing dishes, and comprises a handleY Il,.a wire 'frame I2, and tufts of stiff bristles I3 kwhich protrude from the' frame I2 in both Vertical and horizontal directions.

The wire frame I2 is of theY usual type, comprising a pair of thick wires twisted about each other `to forma lseries of closelyA disposed :spiral convolutions is. The ends of the. wires arewsecured to the brush handle I I, the unattachedportion of the frame I2 forminga loop I5. Aztuft of bristles I3 is set with the space formed between eachy or" the` convolutions It, the tension of the twisted wires comprising `the frame I2 being sufiicient to rigidly hold said bristles.

.A soap container I G issecured to brush IB within. the. connnes of the loop I5 formed by the wire .frame Iii. vSaidcontainer I6 ris in the form of a bag or pouch which is shaped to nt snugly within said loop E5. Container It is preferably made of` a loosely woven cloth such as that `used inthe manufacture of dish-cloths, whichcloth is of .a filterabie'quality. The container i6 has an open top side which vis provided with afdrawstring 2 orother suitable closure means.

Figs. l and. 2 illustrate one method by which the container Iii may be secured in position within the loop I5 `of wire -frame I2. This may be done curing the same operation in which the 'tufts oi'I bristles I3 are set withinv sadframe i'. or 1t may ne done `in. a separate operation. As snownin Fig. l, a portion I8 of the side edge of the container I6 is drawn through each `of the openings formed bythevconvolution i4 Vof the wire rrame. 'l'he tension of the twistedwires is again sumcient to securely -hold container vit position. The container i5 may, however, be secured in position by any other convenient means Vof. attachment, such as stitching, cementying, etc. For instance, the edges of the container may be wrapped around the w1re,i'rame\|2or staples orotner fasteners maybe employed, if desired.

`When it is desired to lill the container t6. the drawstrnlgs i i' are untied. and loosened, and any desired amount of soap isinserted into the mouth *oi* said contalner. since container It is made oi fabric, it` wlll retain soap chips, flakes, powder, and` detergent powder. Alternatively, it may be lilled with a bar of4 soap.' or scraps of soap from used bars Awhich are `normally oicult andinconvenient to use. In addition vthe .usen of; soap scraps anords a substantial economyy in household management. `The use ofchips, akesand powder is made vespecially rconvenient .'sinceafthe housewife is not required to ll the sinkwith water to use these agents, a l.task which is especially tedious whenthere is a single article to wash.

vTo produce -a lquantity .of suds for cleaning, it isonly necessary for the user to dip the. brush I0 in-water-landbegn-to scrubv theclish. `The fabric covering of the container IB itself serves the function of a dishcloth for cleaning china and glassware. The tufts of bristles i3 are beneficial in scrubbing pots and pans or for removing grease and stains from silverware.

On the other hand, should the housewife desire to employ a dish-pan in which to wash a large quantity of dishes, it is only necessary for her to stir the water in the dish-pan with the brush and a quantity of suds will be quickly formed.

The base of the handle Il may be provided with a hole I9, by means of which the brush may be hung upon a hook or nail while not in use. Thus the brush and the container I6 may be left to dry, so that the contained soap may be used over and over and may be easily replenish with almost anything at hand. In place of the hole I9, a ring or similar means may be provided.

Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 show another embodiment of my invention in which a soap container 20 is attached to a different type of brush 2i, but in the same position as the container I6 previously described. This brush 20 is of the type usually used for cleaning bathroom fixtures such as bathtubs, toilet bowls, or the like. The container 2l) for this purpose is made of a more durable material than the container I6, such material preferably being rubber r soft plastic, although it is to be understood that any suitable material of this sort may be used. Container is provided with a large number of minute holes of perforations 22 which are large enough to permit water to permeate the interior of said container 20. The upper side of said container 20 is provided with a slide fastener 23 or other suitable closure means, which enables the container to be filled with any form of soap or household detergent and re-sealed. The perforations 22 are suiciently small to prevent soap chips or powder from leaking out of the container 20. The brush 2l is provided with a long handle l la, so that it may be easily recognizable if a shorthandled brush of the same type is used for dishes.

As clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the container 20 may be secured to the wire frame 12a by a series of small wire loops or staples 24. Staples 24 extend through the wall of said container 20 and are secured about both wires of frame |2a, thus fixing container 20 firmly in position. The container 20 may, however, be secured to frame 12a in any other convenient or suitable means, such as heat-sealing, cementing, etc.

As was the case for brush I0, the brush 2| may be used for scrubbing by merely dipping it in water for a sufficient time in which the container 20 may become saturated. The scrubbing motion of the brush will cause the contained soap to extrude suds through the perforations 22 in the walls of container 20.

The container 20 is especially adapted for washing bathroom fixtures since the plastic or rubber walls of the container will not absorb dirt. In addition, the bristles of the brush are suiciently spaced so that they may be easily rinsed.

While preferred embodiments of my invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvious that numerous omissions, alterations, and additions may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. The description and drawings, therefore, are

meant to be taken in an illustrative, rather than a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A scrubbing brush comprising a handle; a wire frame attached to said handle and bent in the form of a loop, bristles attached to said wire frame and extending upwardly, downwardly and outwardly therefrom, and a hollow soap container disposed within said loop and secured to said wire frame around the predominant portion of the periphery thereof, said container having walls made of a soft, flexible, water-permeable sheet material, said container also having an opening through which soap may be inserted, said opening being spaced from said wire frame, and closure means for said opening, the wall of said container opposite said closure means extending at least to the ends of the adjacent bristles. t

2. A scrubbing brush comprising a handle, a.

wire frame attached to said handle and bent in the form of a loop, bristles attached to said wire frame and extending upwardly, downwardly, and outwardly therefrom, and a hollow soap container disposed within said loop and having walls made of a soft fabric sheet material dennng a pouch, the side walls of said soap container being secured to said wire frame at closely-spaced intervals around the .predominant portion of the periphery thereof, said container also having a central opening in its top wall through which soap may be inserted, and closure means for said opening, the bottom wall of said container extending downwardly at least to the bottom ends of the adjacent downwardly-extending bristles.

3. A scrubbing brush comprising a handle, a wire frame attached to said handle and formed of a pair of wires twisted around each other and bent in the form of a loop, bristles attached to said wire frame, and a soap container disposed within said loop and secured to said wire frame around the predominant portion of the periphery thereof, said container having walls made of a soft fabric sheet material portions of which are pulled through the twists of the wire frame to hold said container firmly in position within the loop, said container, also having an opening through which soap may be inserted, said opening being centered in a wall of said container and being spaced from said wire frame, and closure means for said opening, the weave of said fabric constituting the container walls being sufficiently small to hold soap powder, the wall of said container opposite said closure means extending at least to the ends of the adjacent bristles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

